Pescadores Vigilantes

This article is from the Eco Alianza de Loreto's webpage. Its is great to see the Loreto sport fishing community organizing to protect the resources. While relatively new, Eco Alianza is making things happen.

Fisherman's Watch Group Formed in Loreto

On June 1, 2009, the foundation for “Pescadores Vigilantes” (vigilant fishermen) was established in Loreto, BCS. To address issues concerning conservation of the fishing industry and the National Marine Park, local commercial and sport fishermen were invited to a meeting sponsored by Eco-Alianza de Loreto. Participation was strong as over 100 responses were received by the organizers.

The meeting was held at Mediterraneo Restaurant to coincide with the celebration of Mariner’s Day. Laura Escobosa, the Director of Eco-Alianza, was introduced by Pam Bolles of Baja Big Fish, who expressed her thanks for organizing the event. The purpose of the evening was to communicate the need for the fisherman to work together to protect the sea and thus their livelihood. Fishing is one of the economic pillars in the community of Loreto, and protecting the sea must be seen as “good business” by everyone. The meeting was designed to create solutions that will insure the stability of the local industry.

Conservation regulations are in place in the Loreto National Marine Park, but there is little enforcement and insufficient resources to protect the area. Local fishermen complain of the fleets from Sinaloa that drain the resource without permit or conscience, but there seems to be no one to stop them. Loretano commercial and sport fishers pay fees and licenses that are not charged to those from outside areas. American sport fishers are often overloaded with guests - and fish without permits that local charter companies are required to purchase. The system is unjust and not well managed.

Pescadores Vigilantes is designed to address these issues. Acting as one, instead of isolated voices, is it hoped the local fisherman will be able to increase the weight of their ideas and establish a more powerful position in the future of their industry.

At the heart of the formation of the group is a vehicle for reporting illegal activities. One of the previous stumbling blocks has been a fear of identification and possible retribution, but hannels are now in place to provide complete anonymity. Fishermen can make a simple phone call or visit the office of Eco-Alianza to report illegal activities, with complete assurance that their names will never be revealed.

Protection of the Park and its resources is everyone’s responsibility – those who live in Loreto and those who visit. But it is the fishermen, who are on the water daily, who must assume a leadership role.

The Park and all its beauty cannot defend itself against human intrusion as evironmental abuses such as dumping of trash, oils, paints and other waste products – both at sea and on land – threaten the health of the marine life. As the sea becomes over-fished and polluted, the ecosystem will collapse, and the economic effects on Loreto will be devastating.

To further support the Pescadores Vigilantes, Eco-Alianza pledged to develop a clearly delineated map of fishing zones and no-take areas, plus produce a simple version of current regulations and guidelines inside the park, using information from the recently generated “Ordenamiento Pesquero”.

The meeting provided an opportunity for the fisherman to share their ideas and develop an on-going dialog. Ms. Escobosa sat with several of the attendees after her presentation, and listened to their questions and suggestions.

They expressed a willingness to help with surveillance, but more than that, they wanted their voices to be taken into consideration when decisions about the future of Loreto are made. As fishermen, they understand their importance to the tourist economy.

Some of their other ideas included having a booth at the Marina open from 6 AM to 6 PM where visitors could purchase FONMAR fishing licenses and CONANP bracelets. Currently, nothing is available until after 9 AM.

There was an extended conversation about limiting the number of fishing permits that are available. If the number were fixed, that would limit outside fishing interests from taking from the park. Permits could then be sold or inherited by relatives. This is a technique that has been proven to work as a conservation tool in Canada and Alaska.

Some of the fishermen in attendance included: Loreto Velis Murillo, Alejandro Davis, Victor Manuel Villalejo, Ramon Mayoral Baeza, José Luis Davis Meza, and Octavio Acosta.

It is hoped that different leaders in the community will emerge after the event, and that strategies can be developed to strengthen the fishing sector. A follow up meeting is planned in three months.

Loreto Bay Company - It looks like this is the end

The breaking news this weekend is that Loreto Bay Comapny has closed their office in town, stopped construction, and the hotel, golf course and other hospitality services are suspended until further notice.

The Loreto Bay websites LoretoBay.com and LoretoBayNews.com both have been replaced by this letter:

Loreto, BCS, June 6, 2009

Dear Homeowners,

TSD Loreto Partners, S. en C. por A. de C.V. (the “Company”) regrets to inform its clients and stakeholders that, due to the challenging situation in the international real estate and financial markets, all operating and construction activities for Loreto Bay (the “Project”) will be suspended.

To assist in securing new equity funding and a long-term suitable buyer for the Project the Company hired Cushman & Wakefield. Several potential buyers and investors have visited the Project over the last few months, yet in the context of the current economic crisis and credit shortage, the Project has been unable to secure a buyer or new investor.

We regret to inform you that until new funds are secured, as of June 7th, 2009 all hospitality related operations will be suspended and as of June 8th, 2009 all construction related activities will be suspended.

Please note that all homeowners with a home under construction, and all other homeowners will receive further information as it becomes available.

Best regards,
Embree C. "Chuck” Bedsole
Interim President
TSD Loreto Partners, S. en C. por A. de C.V.

The Inn at Loreto Bay web page is down (discoverloretobay.com). If you have reservations you may want to give them a call and see they have to say.

Pam Bolles in Loreto reports that the Loreto Bay office next to the Mission closed up this week, the signs were painted over and she saw workers removing furniture and fixtures.

People are posting breaking news at the Silver Creek web page. I'll post more information as I get it.

Although I had high hopes in the beginning, it quickly became obvious back in 2004-2005 that this project was questionable a best. When it appeared that much more money was being spent marketing to gullible Americans and Canadians than on building infrastructure, sustainable or otherwise, I became concerned. And when Loreto was temporarily overrun with brand new Mexico experts who had learned everything they knew about Loreto from LB sales material I knew it was doomed.

As the "I got burned" in Mexico stories hit the press remember that it was a team of Americans and Canadians who took the money and ran. Ironically, the Loreto Bay development was started on land that was part of an earlier failed development - Nopolo. Maybe I'll write something about that story one day.

For now at least if you are nostalgic for the LB marketing dream check out explorelorteobay.com. It likely won't be up much longer.

Baja Sur's Senators Fight to Protect Sportfishing

Mexico's Senators Applaud TBF's Efforts on Sportfishing/Conservation Bill; Continue to face strong opposition from commercial fishing lobbyists

MEXICO CITY, Mexico – Though backed with a stronger sportfishing/conservation bill currently on the Senate floor in Mexico City that would close major loopholes in the current law, its proponents now face opposition from political and commercial fishing interests pushing legislation to open the dorado fishery more.

For over two decades dorado (also called dolphinfish, mahi-mahi or goldmakrele) along with billfish (striped marlin, sailfish, etc.), tarpon and roosterfish have been regulated as sport fish in Mexican waters. But a controversial directive, 15 NOM-029 also known as "Shark Norma," authorized by Mexico's fisheries agency CONAPESCA in May 2008, allows for the "incidental" harvest of billfish, dorado and other species within Mexico's conservation zones. The area has long attracted the illegal fishing interests in the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) waters and Pacific Ocean coasts and tons of illegal dorado shipments into the United States.

Based on a multi-year socio-economic study by The Billfish Foundation (TBF), the new conservation bill was introduced by Senators Luis Alberto Coppola Joffroy and Humberto Andrade Quezada with endorsements by Sen. Jaime Rafael Díaz Ochoa, Sen. Luis Fernando Rodríguez Lomelí and Sen. Emma Lucía Larios Gaxiola. In March it received unanimous support by the Congress of the Mexican State of Baja California Sur (BCS).

But members of Mexico's PRD (Party of Democratic Revolution) political faction countered by introducing an initiative to allow dorado to be harvested by commercial fishermen contrary to the law that regulates dorado, billfish and other species as sport fish only.

In turn Coppola and Andrade, both members of the conservative National Action Party (PAN) brought to the Senate floor in May a proposed "agreement with arguments" against the dorado commercial fishery. It too received the Senate's full support in late May.

For both of their conservation initiatives the senators used TBF's study that revealed sportfishing tourism added over $630 million dollars annually directly to the BCS economy.

Study: 24,000 jobs created in Los Cabos region; one billion dollars in economic activity

The study led by TBF Science Director Dr. Russell Nelson and Rob Southwick, Southwick & Associations, Inc., revealed 354,013 people fished in Los Cabos in 2007, most all of them international visitors spending an estimated $633.6 million (U.S.) dollars for lodging, charter boats, food, transportation, tackle, fuel and more. Positive cascading economic effects in the local economy included the creation of 24,426 jobs, $245.5 million (U.S.) in local and federal tax revenues, and $1.125 billion (U.S.) in total economic activity. Visitors who fish there provided an estimated 24.1 percent of the total Los Cabos economy the report disclosed.

Specific waters includes the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts 50 miles out and an additional large area off Cabo that extends about 150 miles north and south and 100 miles out from the coast. Coppola's bill would clearly eliminate the commercial market's sale and the possibility of any bycatch exceptions for billfish, dorado, tarpon and roosterfish protected by the existing conservation zones.

Original bill may sit through the summer

But that bill will likely sit until after a summer-long recess in August, when the three year terms of the PRD's lame-duck congressmen end and the new congressmen's terms begin.

"Before the 'war' can be won, i.e. the passage of the Coppola's bill for sportfishing and conservation, he must wait for the 'battle' to be won," characterized Guillermo Alvarez, TBF's Mexican conservation director, of the situation. "We hope over the summer Senators Coppola and Andrade can gain even more support among other lawmakers in the 31 states of Mexico."

In a letter thanking TBF President Ellen Peel, a spokesman for the two senators wrote, "Mexico can not afford to divert from its sport fish conservation tradition and we will not tolerate this (commercial harvesting of dorado, etc.) to happen."

"In difficult times - as we are going through because of the influenza outbreak - competitiveness lies on sportfishing as TBF's economic research shows," stated Joel Macias de Lara who coordinates the senator's advisory group.

Wire service reports in late May announced Mexico was spending $90 million to attract tourists after the severe fallout of visitors led by the news on the country's flu epidemic. Because of the flu Los Cabos saw several major tournaments postponed or cancelled.

"TBF's recent socio-economic study in the Baja Sur region of the country makes clear that billfishing is an important economic stimulus to the nation, therefore billfish, dorado and other species important to anglers should be protected," said Ms. Peel.

"The Billfish Foundation applauds Senator Coppola for his two current initiatives now in Congress. He once again is demonstrating his strong commitment to good conservation and a strong economy. Senator Coppola understands that good conservation pays. Many areas in Mexico are famous and were economically strong not too long ago because of sportfishing. But if the fish important to sportfishing are allowed to be sold, then anglers and their dollars will go to other nations to fish. TBF urges the Senate to join forces with Coppola for the good of the country, its economy, the fish and the ocean."

To read Senator Coppola's bill and proposal in Spanish, please click here. A translated English version will be posted upon completion. Please click here to read a letter thanking TBF's efforts.

This article is from the Billfish Foundation

Leopard Grouper in Loreto

With the start of the management plan revision for Loreto Bay National Park I thought it would be good to post a link to this important paper on Leopard Grouper:

Viability Analysis of Reef Fish Populations Based on Limited Demographic Information

Despite the title this relatively straight forward scientific paper documents the condition of Leopard Grouper in Loreto Bay National Park. While the populations of fast growing, migratory, yellowtail, dorado, and sailfish appear to be maintaining decent populations and produce outstanding sport fishing opportunities, the inshore reef dwelling fish are vulnerable to sport fishing and are devastated by netting.

The new management plan needs to protect Leopard Grouper and other depressed populations from consumptive use. Its a perfect opportunity to experiment with no-take catch and release areas to provide for continued sport fishing - the economic base of Loreto, while rebuilding populations. Obviously, elimination of inshore gill netting in these depressed populations is key to preventing further declines.

Baja From Space

This photo was taken this week from Space Shuttle Mission 125 to the Hubble Telescope. Click on it to see the full sized version. The clouds really show the cool Pacific waters that extend from Tijuana to Magdelena Bay this time of year. As temperatures on the Gulf of California soar things on the Pacific side stay significantly cooler.

Rivers of a Lost Coast

I saw this movie last Saturday night in Ashland. I realize it is not about Baja but I was so moved by the film and its message is so powerful that I encourage everyone to see it.

Anyone who values great fishing or just appreciates the beauty and spectacle of anadromous fish should see the footage in this film from the 1950s on rivers like the Russian and San Lorenzo - formerly great steelhead runs now reduced to a faint shadow of what once was. Hopefully the call to protect and restore what we still have will resonate with audiences everywhere.

Special thanks to Will at the Ashland Fly Shop for hosting the event!

More on Loreto Management Plan

Pam from the Baja Big Fish Company provides the following information from Loreto Bay National Park regarding the planning process:

The following is an invite to the conservation sector of the park management plan revisions:

I hereby send you greetings. We write for two reasons: first, to present the final report of the first phase of consultation which is a "map" of the actors and relevant issues regarding the general objective of the Loreto Bay National Park.

The second reason is to invite you to participate in the second phase of the participatory process of the parks revision management plan. To begin, it consists of the first CONSERVATION sector reunion. The meeting is to review the Management Program of Loreto Bay National Park and will be held on Saturday May 16, from 9 am to 3 PM at the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur Campus Loreto (Paseo Pedro Ugarte s / n Col. Missionaries zip code 23880) and we want you to join us for making this process an enriched one.

The objectives of the meeting are:

1. Validate the document with the actors
2. Obtain more proposals in order to elaborate the new management program
3. Begin to explore a possible representative for the whole Conservation sector.

After the first reunion, we will resort to a technical committee in order to present our CONSERVATION opinion on the legal and technical feasibility of the proposals that emerge from the sectorial meeting.

After the participatory process, a second sectorial meeting will be held in June where we will resume the results given by the technical committee, the proposals will be further reviewed, and we will start introducing the negotiation process. The third phase of the process has a negotiation workshop and a plenary session in July where all the sector proposals will be presented together. The last phase is a final plenary meeting in September where we intend to reach a final agreement for the new management program that will be used in the next five years.

For us and for the success of the process is very important to have your valuable presence at all stages and we hope to confirm your attendance at the first sectorial meeting in May. Please contact us for any information. Telephone: Mexico, 55 5286 6440, Loreto, 613 135 0477.

Email: lina@sociosmexico.org,
jportilla@colaboracioncivica.org,
emariano@conanp.gob.mx.

Thanks.

****************

These meetings are open to the public including visitors and foreign residents.

The sector meeting for commercial fishing is from 9am to 3pm at UABCS Loreto on thursday May 14th

The sector meeting for the sport fishing is from 9am to 3pm at UABCS Loreto on Friday May 15th.

Again the second phase of sector meetings will be in June. The final plan will be in place January 2010.

Loreto Bay National Marine Park to Write New Management Plan

This week the managers at Loreto Bay National Marine Park held public meetings to gather information as they begin writing a new management plan for the park. We will be following the process closely and providing input as the plan is developed.

Comenzó programa de manejo del Parque
Nacional

El Sudcaliforniano

11 de mayo de 2009

Raúl Villalobos Davis

Loreto, Baja California Sur.- Este sábado con una conferencia de prensa y reunión donde estuvieron diversos sectores relacionados con el Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto, dio inicio el proceso de revisión del programa de manejo de esta área natural protegida. Dicho evento estuvo presidido por el alcalde de Loreto, Yuan Yee Cunningham y el director del Parque, Everardo Mariano Meléndez, acompañados por representantes de diversas instituciones que se están involucrando en esta labor.

Uno de los principales puntos que se dieron a conocer es que dicho trabajo está dando inicio y este tendrá que ser una labor de todos los sectores de la sociedad, donde tendrán la oportunidad de participar con sus propuestas y puntos de vista, durante la presente semana están dando inicio una serie de reuniones con diversos sectores, como pescadores, habitantes de comunidades rurales, empresarios y desarrolladores turísticos, autoridades y en
general toda la ciudadanía, donde se habrá de exponer los diversos puntos de
vista rumbo a la conformación del programa de manejo o sobre las modificaciones
que se requieran.

De tal forma que el programa de manejo deberá contar con el consenso de los ciudadanos y reflejar las necesidades de todos, mediante un cuidado, manejo y aprovechamiento de los recursos naturales de manera sustentable.

Cabe mencionar que esta revisión del programa de manejo también servirá para dar a conocer si el mismo ha funcionado y cumplido con los objetivos para lo que fue creado, o bien existe la necesidad de prácticamente eliminarlo y hacerlo nuevo en su totalidad para bien de todos y principalmente para la salud del Parque Marino Nacional Bahía de Loreto. Este es un proceso donde todos debemos estar presentes y contribuir.

From the El Sudcaliforniano.

Taking the bus

Many Americans think travel on the bus in Mexico involves old, broken-down school buses crammed with sweating uncomfortable people and at least a few farm animals. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In Baja California fleets of modern, comfortable buses, many manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, cruise the highway. Movies are shown on computer screens that fold down from the ceiling and about every two hours they stop for a break at a station with food and drinks available.

The seats are large and comfortable with plenty of leg room - I'm a big guy and am comfortable. The buses are well air conditioned and sometimes chilly. Its good to bring a sweater or blanket especially for overnight trips.


One of the major lines is ABC. Their gigantic ABC Plus buses are a familiar sight to those who have traveled the high way. Their web page is in Spanish and a little confusing but usable. Note that they offer a 10% discount for round trip tickets and have a frequent traveler plan.

New Loreto on line news site

I just found this Loreto online new site that may be of interest. I'll add the link to my list.

Radar Politico

Take Marlin off the Menu

The Take Marlin off the Menu campaign's webpage posses the question:

If you saw lion or tiger for sale in a restaurant or grocery store would you buy it?

The obvious answer for most people would be no. Its time to start thinking of marlin in the same way. Populations of these magnificent top predators are depleted by overfishing, deserve protection, and contain high levels of toxic mercury. It's time to get them off the menu.

Fortunately, the International Game Fish Association, the National Coalition for Marine Conservation, and the Billfish Foundation have teemed up to create this new campaign:

Take Marlin off the Menu

How you can help

Lets do our part and ensure healthy marlin populations for the future!

Good news From BCS State Congress

Study by The Billfish Foundation used as basis to reinforce Mexico's fishing laws

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla, USA — A move to strengthen fishing and conservation laws in Mexico's waters gained major support by all political parties late last week in a vote by members of the Congress of the Mexican State of Baja California Sur (BCS).

Backed by a socio-economic study from The Billfish Foundation, the BCS members voted unanimously to take a position of support for federal legislation to toughen commercial fishing laws through a bill recently introduced by Senators Luis Alberto Coppola Joffroy and Humberto Andrade Quezada.

The action among the members was remarkable in that it marks the first unification across political party lines to support this conservation effort that would protect its economically rich sport fisheries, especially in the Los Cabos region of the BCS.

The bill would clearly eliminate the commercial market's sale and the possibility of any bycatch exceptions for billfish, dorado, tarpon and roosterfish protected for sportfishing by existing 50 mile conservation zones.

To support their legislation Joffroy and Quezada used documents which cited results of TBF's study released last fall that revealed sportfishing tourism to be adding over $630 million dollars annually directly to the BCS economy.

The TBF study showed in 2007, 354,013 people, most all of them international visitors, fished in Los Cabos. While there they spent an estimated $633.6 million dollars for lodging, charter boats, food, transportation, tackle, fuel, and more. These expenditures started a series of positive cascading economic effects in the local economy which included the creation of 24,426 jobs, $245.5 U.S. million in local and federal tax revenues, and $1.125 U.S. billion in total economic activity.

Visitors who fish there provided an estimated 24.1 percent of the total Los Cabos economy the report disclosed.

The legislative action is particularly significant in light of the fact that the BCS Governor has not been supportive of strong conservation initiatives and the BCS Congress is dominated by members of the PRD party (Party of Democratic Revolution). Coppola and Andrade are in the conservative National Action Party (PAN).

"TBF is greatly encouraged by this demonstration of strong bipartisan support for these important billfish conservation efforts in Mexico," said its Chairman John Brownlee, "and we are pleased that our research has demonstrated how good conservation and sportfishing opportunities can bring new wealth and sustainable job opportunities to all of Mexico's coastal communities."

Senator Coppola said he was pleased that all parties at the local BCS State Congress are now endorsing his initiative which speaks of how much impact the evaluation by TBF of the economic importance to Los Cabos and BCS had on the Senate." But the solidarity in the BCS may need to be carried even further.

The Senate legislation supported by Coppola and Andrade faces some opposition in the form of an alternative proposal, supported by commercial fishing interests that would provide complete protection to these resources in the waters off of BCS while allowing expanded commercial harvest in the rest of Mexico.

"The idea of protecting highly migratory billfish off Los Cabos and killing them elsewhere along Mexico's coastline is not supported by any biological or economic data," TBF scientist Dr. Russell Nelson explained. "Fish killed off Acapulco will forever be lost to the Los Cabos fishery. We have developed a bioeconomic model that shows this action would create losses of over $425 million a year and 18,000 jobs to the BCS economy and far greater economic losses to Mexico as a whole." The specific waters for the Coppola/Andrade action before the Mexican legislature includes the Pacific and Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico coasts 50 miles out and an additional large area off Cabo that extends about 150 miles north and south and 100 miles out from the coast.

Nelson said hopefully this legislature will close any loopholes. Recent attempts by Mexico's fisheries agency, CONAPESCA, to establish liberal by-catch allowances for billfish, dorado and other species have drawn sharp criticism from sportfishing and conservation organizations.

The area has long attracted the illegal fishing interests in the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) waters and Pacific Ocean coasts and illegal shipments into the United States.

Intentionally mislabeled, multiple tons of the illegal dorado catches, have crossed into the United States by semi-tractor trailer trucks through Arizona (Nogales) and California (Tijuana).

"This destructively affects fishing resources and the millions in tourist dollars that also support sport fishing such as catch-and-release for striped marlin in the region," said Nelson.

Nelson concluded, "We need to unite behind the fact-based legislation introduced by Senators Coppola and Andrade and supported by many others from all political parties and create a future where the economic development potential generated by good conservation policies and sport fishing tourism can benefit all the people of Mexico."

From espn.com

Sting Rays and Semana Santa

With Easter this next Sunday Semana Santa should be in full swing on the beaches of Baja California. If you are uptight or like even the slightest amount of privacy this is not the time for you to go beach camping. However, if you want to imerse yourself in Mexican vacation culture this is the time. The beaches around Bahia Conception and La Paz are typically PACKED with families. There won't be room for a back cast and if you park to close to the water you may not be able to get out until the party ends sometime next week. Many Mexicans love to go camping at the beach and this is the big annual beach week. Plan accordingly!!!

Spring also brings large numbers of Sting Rays to shallow waters around the peninsula. While found year round in Baja waters they move to the shallows in March and April to mate. Shuffle your feet to avoid stepping on them. I wear Patagonia Marlwalkers and avoid wading in areas with high concentrations of Rays.

Although I've never been hit myself, I've witnessed the aftermath of more than one sting and it looks painful to say the least. Infection can be a serious problem so I recommend seeking competent medical advice. Fortunately, all the local doctors have treated many of these injuries and it won't cost too much.

For a classic Sting Ray tale check out Skipjack Joe's story on the Baja Nomad Forums.

For more information on Sting Rays check out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sting_ray

http://www.clubcruceros.org/StingrayInjuries.html

http://www.elasmodiver.com/Chasing_Rays_in_Baja_Article.htm

Below the Birds

Here's a fantastic video that shows what is happening under those birds that we spend all day chasing. There is much to be learned from the appearance and behavior of bait fish under attack. The slow motion near the end is especially informative for the fly tier. Watch the marlin slice a sardina in half and incorporate some red into those patterns!

Mulege Snook

Over on the Baja Nomads forums there is talk of snook in the Mulege "River":

Mulege Snook

Sounds like a decent fishery is developing after the post hurricane work done along the flooded arroyo mouth. There is even a mention of a broken 8 weight rod! The Mulege area suffers from high levels of gill netting an shrimp trawling and the resident fishery is in fairly bad shape. As long as the gill nets stay out of the river this could develop into something. We'll keep our eyes on it.

Please do your part to protect this fishery and release all fish. I think given the sanitation problems along the river it would be fairly questionable to eat fish from this small estuary so let them grow!!! There is plenty of other great tasting fish to eat.